Image stabilizing apparatus, image processing apparatus, and detection method

ABSTRACT

An image stabilizing apparatus comprises: a shake detector that detects shake; an image stabilizer that corrects the shake by moving a position on the basis of the shake detected by the shake detector; a position detector that detects and outputs the position of the image stabilizer; a determinator that determines an extraction timing at which to extract the position of the image stabilizer on the basis of a timing at which an image sensor which shoots an image is exposed; and an extractor that extracts the position of the image stabilizer, from the output of the position detector, at the extraction timing determined by the determinator.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an image stabilizing apparatus, animage processing apparatus, and a detection method.

Description of the Related Art

Image capturing apparatuses, interchangeable lenses, and the like areknown that have functions for detecting shake in the image capturingapparatus and correcting image blur caused by that shake using a movableoptical lens or a movable image sensor. A function that corrects imageblur using this method (“image stabilization function” hereinafter) iscalled “optical image stabilization”. An angular velocity sensor (agyrosensor), an accelerometer, or the like are typically used to detectshake in the image capturing apparatus, and the optical lens or theimage sensor is driven, on the basis of a detected angular velocity oracceleration, in a direction that cancels out the image blur.

Recent years have seen increased framerates in image capturingapparatuses and advancements in image processing technologies. It is nowpossible to analyze difference between the positions of frame images anddetect movement (a movement amount) of a subject by calculating a motionvector from the difference. An image stabilization function that cancelsout image blur by changing the cutout position of each frame in a movingimage on the basis of a movement amount detected in this manner is alsoknown. This type of image stabilization function is called “electronicimage stabilization”. Electronic image stabilization is used in compact,lightweight image capturing apparatuses, mobile phones including imagecapturing apparatuses, and the like.

An image capturing apparatus can realize a variety of functions,including electronic image stabilization, by using information of themovement amount of a subject found from motion vectors. For example,moving body detection shooting, subject tracking autofocus, and the likecan be realized. In moving body detection shooting, whether or not asubject is a moving body is detected, and the shutter speed,sensitivity, and the like are adjusted on the basis thereof. In subjecttracking autofocus, the position of a subject is estimated from themovement amount of the subject, and the subject is brought into focuswhile being tracked. An automatic framing function, which shoots whileautomatically keeping a subject at a set size within the angle of view,and a panning shooting assist function, which helps make it easier touse the advanced shooting technique of panning shooting, can also berealized. Accurately calculating the movement amount of the subject isessential in order to effectively and accurately realize these variousfunctions.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-161730 discloses a method for moreaccurately finding shake in an image capturing apparatus, by setting thetiming at which shake is detected in the image capturing apparatus tobetween the exposure periods of two frames, in order to make panningshooting easier. The document proposes a panning shooting assistfunction that suppresses image blur in a main subject, which is thesubject of the panning shooting, by using the image capturing apparatusshake detected through the stated method and a motion vector of thesubject in a captured image.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-161730 focuses only on shake in theimage capturing apparatus as obtained by a gyrosensor or the like.However, if the image capturing apparatus has an image stabilizationfunction, accurately finding the amount of correction by an imagestabilization mechanism (a correction position) is essential in order tofind the movement amount of the subject more accurately, in addition tothe motion vector calculated from the image and the amount of shake inthe image capturing apparatus.

The relationship between the “motion vector calculated from the image”,the “movement amount of the subject”, the “amount of shake in the imagecapturing apparatus”, and the “amount of correction by the imagestabilization mechanism (the correction position)” will be describedhere with reference to FIGS. 25A to 25D. FIGS. 25A to 25D illustrate anexample where an image capturing apparatus 1101 shoots two subjects,i.e., a subject 1103 and a subject 1104. An optical image stabilizationmechanism 1102 is assumed here to have a configuration that correctsimage blur by moving the image sensor. Although this example assumesthat the image stabilization is realized by the image sensor, a methodwhich uses an optical image stabilization lens may be employed instead.

A shot image 1105 illustrated in FIG. 25A is an image in which thesubject 1103 and the subject 1104 have been shot, and the images of thesubjects are a subject image 1106 and a subject image 1107,respectively. A shot image 1110, illustrated in FIG. 25B, shows a statein which, of the subject 1103 and the subject 1104 in this composition,the subject 1103 has moved to the right, from a position P1 to aposition P2. At this time, the subject image 1106 in the shot image 1105moves from the position p1 to the position p2 in the shot image 1110. Amotion vector 1113 is therefore found for the subject image 1106, and asubject movement amount 1109 can be found for the subject 1103 on thebasis thereof.

FIG. 25C illustrates a state where the image capturing apparatus 1101has shaken to the left from the state illustrated in FIG. 25B (an imagecapturing apparatus shake amount 1121). Assuming the angular velocity ofthe shake in the image capturing apparatus 1101 at this time is anangular velocity 1122, a shot image 1120 is an image in which the angleof view is shifted to the left compared to the shot image 1110. Thus inthe shot image 1120, the subject image 1106 and the subject image 1107are shifted relatively to the right side, regardless of whether or notthe subjects themselves have moved. As a result, the movement of thesubject image 1106 in the shot image 1120 illustrated in FIG. 25C isfound as a motion vector 1125. In other words, the motion vector 1125 isproduced by the subject movement amount 1109, which is the movementamount of the subject 1103 itself, and the image capturing apparatusshake amount 1121, which is the amount of shake in the image capturingapparatus 1101. The motion vector 1113 of the subject image 1106 can befound by subtracting a motion vector equivalent to the image capturingapparatus shake amount 1121 from the motion vector 1125, and the subjectmovement amount 1109 of the subject 1103 can be found on the basis ofthe motion vector 1113.

Furthermore, an image capturing apparatus having an image stabilizationfunction typically carries out image stabilization continuously, whichaffects the images that are shot. FIG. 25D illustrates a state where theoptical image stabilization mechanism 1102 is carrying out imagestabilization operations, with the image stabilization amount at thattime represented by an image stabilization amount 1131. As a result, ashot image 1130 illustrated in FIG. 25D is an image shifted in theopposite direction relative to the shot image 1120 illustrated in FIG.25C, which cancels out the image capturing apparatus shake amount 1121.As a result, the motion vector of the subject 1103 in the shot image1130, found from the position in the subject image 1106, is a motionvector 1135.

Here, the image stabilization function having completely canceled theimage capturing apparatus shake amount 1121 with the image stabilizationamount 1131 is equivalent to a state where the image capturing apparatus1101 is completely stopped. This is the same as the shot image 1110illustrated in FIG. 25B and the shot image 1130 illustrated in FIG. 25D.In other words, the motion vector 1135 is produced only by the subjectmovement amount 1109. However, if the image capturing apparatus shakeamount 1121 is high and thus cannot be completely corrected by theoptical image stabilization mechanism 1102, the image capturingapparatus shake amount 1121 will not be completely canceled out.Furthermore, the image capturing apparatus shake amount 1121 will not becompletely canceled out when the photographer intentionally pans theapparatus to track a subject while the optical image stabilizationmechanism 1102 functions with a delay. As such, the motion vector 1135calculated from the shot image 1130 is produced by the image capturingapparatus shake amount 1121 and the image stabilization amount 1131, inaddition to the subject movement amount 1109. In this case, the motionvector 1113 of the subject image 1106 can be found by subtracting amotion vector equivalent to the image capturing apparatus shake amount1121 and the image stabilization amount 1131 from the motion vector1135, and the subject movement amount 1109 of the subject 1103 can befound on the basis of the motion vector 1113.

Thus as described above, if the image capturing apparatus has an imagestabilization function, accurately finding the amount of correction bythe image stabilization mechanism (the correction position) is essentialin order to find the movement amount of the subject more accurately, inaddition to the motion vector calculated from the image and the amountof shake in the image capturing apparatus. An invention in which theamount of correction by an optical image stabilization mechanism isextracted in synchronization with the exposure timing of each horizontalline of an image sensor, the horizontal lines where a subject (calledsubject horizontal lines” hereinafter), and so on has therefore alsobeen proposed.

Meanwhile, there are cases where, in an image capturing apparatus, theimage sensor and an image signal processing unit which converts pixeldata from the sensor are provided on a semiconductor device or circuitboard different from a semiconductor device or circuit board on which aprocessing unit that calculates the motion vector, movement amount, andthe like of a subject are provided. In this case, image data obtainedfrom exposure, correction position information extracted insynchronization with the exposure timing, and the like must be exchangedwith the processing units located on the different circuit boards. Ifthe image data and the correction position information are exchangedusing mutually-different communication circuits, lines for thosecommunication circuit must be provided as well. This increases the spacerequired for wiring, the number of connector pins, and the like on thecircuit boards, which makes it difficult to keep the image capturingapparatus small. The image data and the correction position informationmust also be synchronized, which means that the data transfer must alsobe synchronized between the different communication units, whichcomplicates the processing.

It is therefore desirable that the image data obtained from exposure andthe correction position information extracted in synchronization withthe exposure timing be exchanged between the processing unitsefficiently and while conserving space.

Furthermore, if the image capturing apparatus is an interchangeablelens-type apparatus and image stabilization is realized using an imagestabilization function from an image stabilization lens or the likeprovided on the lens side, the image stabilization amount 1131 must betransmitted from the lens side to the main body side through some kindof method in order to find an accurate subject movement amount. Thus tofind an accurate subject movement amount, it is essential to find theamount of correction by the image stabilization mechanism on the lensside (the correction position) accurately and transmit that from thelens side to the main body side, in addition to the motion vectorcalculated from the image and the amount of shake in the image capturingapparatus.

Furthermore, in an image capturing apparatus, there are cases where theimage sensor, a processing unit that calculates the motion vector, themovement amount, and so on of a subject, and an image stabilizationcontrol unit are formed on the same circuit board or in the samesemiconductor device, with a shake detection unit being formed on adifferent circuit board. For example, the shake detection unit mustdetect shake in the image capturing apparatus, and the shake detectionunit and the image sensor must therefore be provided on differentcircuit boards in a configuration that carries out image stabilizationby driving a movable image sensor. The detection result from the shakedetection unit must therefore be transmitted among processing unitsprovided on different circuit boards. If a dedicated communicationcircuit is used to exchange the detection results from the shakedetection unit at this time, the dedicated communication circuit andwiring for that communication circuit must be provided as well. Thisincreases the space required for wiring, the number of connector pins,and the like on the circuit boards, which increases the component costsand makes it difficult to keep the image capturing apparatus small.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in consideration of the abovesituation, and finds an accurate position of an image stabilizationmechanism corresponding to the exposure of a subject in order toincrease the detection accuracy of a movement amount of the subject.

According to the present invention, provided is an image stabilizingapparatus comprising: a shake detector that detects shake; an imagestabilizer that corrects the shake by moving a position on the basis ofthe shake detected by the shake detector; a position detector thatdetects and outputs the position of the image stabilizer; a determinatorthat determines an extraction timing at which to extract the position ofthe image stabilizer on the basis of a timing at which an image sensorwhich shoots an image is exposed; and an extractor that extracts theposition of the image stabilizer, from the output of the positiondetector, at the extraction timing determined by the determinator.

Further, according to the present invention, provided is an imageprocessing apparatus comprising: a motion vector detector that detects amotion vector indicating movement of a subject on the basis of an imagecaptured by an image sensor; and an acquisition circuit that acquiresthe motion vector detected by the motion vector detector and informationfrom an image stabilizing apparatus; a moving amount detector thatdetects a movement amount of the subject on the basis of the informationacquired by the acquisition circuit, wherein the image stabilizationapparatus comprising: a shake detector that detects shake; an imagestabilizer that corrects the shake by moving a position on the basis ofthe shake detected by the shake detector; a position detector thatdetects and outputs the position of the image stabilizer; a determinatorthat determines an extraction timing at which to extract the position ofthe image stabilizer on the basis of a timing at which an image sensorwhich shoots an image is exposed; and an extractor that extracts theposition of the image stabilizer, from the output of the positiondetector, at the extraction timing determined by the determinator, andwherein the information includes a shake amount detected by the shakedetector and the position of the image stabilizer extracted by theextractor.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, provided is a method ofdetecting a position of an image stabilizer, the method comprising:detecting shake; correcting the shake by moving the position of theimage stabilizer on the basis of the detected shake; detecting andoutputting the position of the image stabilizer; determining anextraction timing at which to extract the position of the imagestabilizer on the basis of a timing at which an image sensor whichshoots an image is exposed; and extracting, from the detected positionof the image stabilizer, the position of the image stabilizer at thedetermined extraction timing.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, provided is acomputer-readable storage medium storing a program that, in an imagestabilizing apparatus including a shake detector that detects shake, animage stabilizer that corrects the shake by moving a position on thebasis of the shake detected by the shake detector, and a positiondetector that detects and outputs the position of the image stabilizer,causes a computer to function as: a determinator that determines anextraction timing at which to extract the position of the imagestabilizer on the basis of a timing at which an image sensor whichshoots an image is exposed; and an extractor that extracts the positionof the image stabilizer, from the output of the position detector, atthe extraction timing determined by the determinator.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to theattached drawings).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention, andtogether with the description, serve to explain the principles of theinvention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the overallconfiguration of an image capturing apparatus according to embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of shooting by the imagecapturing apparatus according to embodiments.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a configurationinvolved in a subject movement detection process according to a firstembodiment.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating the timing at which positioninformation of an image stabilization mechanism is extracted, accordingto the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a configurationinvolved in a subject movement detection process according to a secondembodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the timing at which positioninformation of an image stabilization mechanism is extracted, accordingto the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the timing at which positioninformation of the image stabilization mechanism is extracted, in a casewhere there are a plurality of subjects, according to the secondembodiment.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a configurationinvolved in a subject movement detection process according to a thirdembodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the timing at which positioninformation of an image stabilization mechanism is extracted, accordingto the third embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating another configuration involvedin the subject movement detection process, according to the thirdembodiment.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a configurationinvolved in a subject movement detection process according to a fourthembodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of atransmission packet according to the fourth embodiment.

FIGS. 13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating the configuration of thetransmission packet according to the fourth embodiment.

FIG. 14A is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of atransmission packet according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 14B is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of atransmission packet according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 14C is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of atransmission packet according to the fifth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a configurationinvolved in a subject movement detection process according to a sixthembodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the timing at which positioninformation of an image stabilization mechanism is extracted, accordingto the sixth embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a configurationinvolved in a subject movement detection process according to a seventhembodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the timing at which positioninformation of an image stabilization mechanism is extracted, accordingto the seventh embodiment.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating the timing at which positioninformation of an image stabilization mechanism is extracted, in a casewhere there are a plurality of subjects, according to the seventhembodiment.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a configurationinvolved in a subject movement detection process according to an eighthembodiment.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating the timing at which positioninformation of image stabilization mechanisms is extracted, according tothe eighth embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a configurationinvolved in a subject movement detection process according to ninth andtenth embodiments.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating the timing at which camera shakeamounts from a camera shake detection unit are extracted, according tothe ninth embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating the timing at which camera shakeamounts from a camera shake detection unit are extracted, according tothe tenth embodiment.

FIGS. 25A to 25D are diagrams illustrating a relationship between amotion vector, an image capturing apparatus, and a subject.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail in accordance with the accompanying drawings. The embodimentsdescribe an image stabilizing apparatus, which stabilizes a shot image,as an example. An image stabilizing apparatus which controls the drivingof a movable member or the like in an image stabilization optical systemcan be provided in image capturing apparatuses such as video cameras ordigital cameras, optical devices including observation apparatuses suchas binoculars, telescopes, and field scopes, and the like.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of the overallconfiguration of an image capturing system according to embodiments ofthe present invention, and illustrates the configuration of a camerabody 120 (the main body of an image capturing apparatus), which is amirrorless camera having an image stabilization function, and aninterchangeable lens 100.

The interchangeable lens is an optical device that can be attached toand removed from the camera body 120, and may be any of a variety oftypes of lenses. The interchangeable lens 100 described here includes animaging lens unit 101 constituted by a main optical imaging system 102,a zoom lens group 103 capable of changing the focal length, and an imagestabilization lens group 104 that corrects image blur. A zoom encoder105 detects the position of the zoom lens group 103 and outputs adetection signal to a lens focal length detection unit 109 within a lenscontrol unit 108. The lens focal length detection unit 109 can obtainthe focal length of the imaging lens unit 101 from the detection signalprovided by the zoom encoder 105.

An image stabilization lens position sensor 106 detects the position ofthe image stabilization lens group 104, which is driven by an imagestabilization lens actuator 107, and outputs a detection signal to alens image stabilization control unit 112. An interchangeable lens shakedetection unit 113 detects shake in the interchangeable lens 100, andoutputs a shake detection signal (a shake amount) to the lens imagestabilization control unit 112. The lens image stabilization controlunit 112 carries out image stabilization operations by driving the imagestabilization lens group 104 in directions perpendicular to the opticalaxis thereof on the basis of the shake detection signal. In other words,the lens image stabilization control unit 112 finds an amount ofcorrection for the image stabilization lens group 104 on the basis ofthe position of the image stabilization lens group 104 and the shakeamount in the interchangeable lens 100, and uses that amount ofcorrection to control the image stabilization.

A mount contact unit 114 is a unit for connection with the camera body120, and communicates with the camera body 120 under the control of alens communication control unit 111. The lens control unit 108 alsocontrols the focus, aperture, and the like (not illustrated here).

The camera body 120 includes a camera system control microcomputer 160(called a “camera control unit” hereinafter), a shutter 121 used inexposure control, an image sensor 150 such as a CMOS sensor, and thelike. The shutter 121 is driven by a shutter actuator 122, and thedriving is controlled by a shutter control unit 124 via a shutter driver123. A plurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix in the image sensor150. Operation timings are set by an exposure timing control unit 152,and an image is generated by processing output signals from the imagesensor 150 using an image signal processing unit 151.

A camera shake detection unit 134 detects shake in the camera body 120and outputs a shake detection signal to a camera stabilization controlunit 135. The image sensor 150 is driven in directions perpendicular tothe optical axis by a camera stabilization actuator 132, and theposition of the sensor is output to the camera stabilization controlunit 135 by a camera stabilization position sensor 131. The camerastabilization control unit 135 performs image stabilization control ofthe camera body 120 by finding an amount of correction on the basis ofthe output from the camera shake detection unit 134 and the positioninformation of the image sensor 150, and driving the camerastabilization actuator 132 on the basis of that amount of correctionusing a camera stabilization driver 133.

A display unit 171 includes a display device, such as a liquid crystalpanel (LCD), that makes displays for a user to monitor the image he orshe intends to shoot with the camera, displays for the user to confirmimages that have been shot, and the like. A storage medium 172 is arecording medium, such as a memory card, that records the data of shotimages. An operating unit 173 includes a power switch, a release switch,a switch for setting various modes, and the like.

A mount contact unit 141 is a connection unit provided for connectingthe camera body 120 and the interchangeable lens 100. The lenscommunication control unit 111 and a camera communication control unit142 communicate at predetermined timings through the mount contact unit114 and the mount contact unit 141.

A subject position detection unit 161 detects various types of subjects,such as a main subject and a background, from an image output from theimage signal processing unit 151. A motion vector detection unit 162calculates a motion vector of a subject from differences in the imagedata between a plurality of frames. A subject movement amount detectionunit 163 detects movement (a movement amount) of a subject on the basisof the shake detection signal from the camera shake detection unit 134,the motion vector from the motion vector detection unit 162, and theposition information from the camera stabilization position sensor 131.

The camera body 120 also includes various other control blocks, such asa white balance control unit, but these have not been illustrated forthe sake of simplicity. Furthermore, during image stabilization,detection and correction processes are executed for two orthogonal axes,e.g., in horizontal and vertical directions. However, these processesuse the same configurations, and thus the following descriptions willfocus on only a single axis.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating the flow of shooting by the imagecapturing apparatus configured as described above, according to thepresent invention. The flow of shooting by the image capturing apparatuswill be described next with reference to FIG. 2.

Once the image capturing apparatus is turned on, first, aninitialization process for making shooting preparations is carried out(step S201). Having finished the initialization process, the imagecapturing apparatus starts driving the image sensor 150, and startsobtaining a subject image (step S202). At this time, if the imagestabilization function is set to active (YES in step S203), an imagestabilization process is carried out by the various image stabilizationmechanisms (step S204), after which the process moves to step S205. Ifthe image stabilization function is not active, the process moves tostep S205 without carrying out the image stabilization process.

Next, in step S205, the image capturing apparatus determines whether ornot recording has been started. If recording has not been started, theprocess moves to step S206, where it is determined whether or not atrigger to start shooting has been produced by the release button in theoperating unit 173 being operated. If the trigger to start shooting hasbeen produced, the process moves to step S207. Recording is started, andthe process moves to step S212. However, if the trigger to startshooting has not been produced, the process moves directly to step S212.

If the recording has already been started, the process moves to stepS208, where it is determined whether or not a trigger to end shootinghas been produced by the release button of the operating unit 173 beingoperated. If the trigger to end shooting has not been produced, theprocess moves to step S209, where a recording process is carried out.Then, the shot image is saved into the recording medium in step S210,after which the process moves to step S212. On the other hand, if thetrigger to end shooting has been produced, the process moves to stepS211, where the recording is stopped. The process then moves to stepS212.

In this manner, when a trigger is produced by the release button beingoperated while recording has not yet been started, the recording isstarted. The recording process is continued until the trigger isproduced again, whereupon the shot image is saved into the recordingmedium. When the trigger is produced again after the recording wasstarted, the recording is stopped.

In step S212, the position of a subject in the image obtained by theimage sensor 150 is detected. In step S213, movement of the subject isdetected on the basis of the position of the subject detected previouslyand the position of the subject detected at present. Note that thepresent invention assumes that the subject position detection process(step S212) and the subject movement detection process (S213) arecarried out continuously while the image sensor 150 is operating,regardless of whether or not recording is taking place. Such being thecase, the position and movement of the subject can be detected andpredicted even while in a waiting state, which makes it possible torealize various shooting functions.

In step S214, it is determined whether or not an operation for turningthe power off, such as the power button in the operating unit 173 beingoperated, has been made. If the power has not been turned off, theprocess returns to step S203, and the above-described processing isrepeated. However, if the power has been turned off, the end process isperformed in step S215. The image capturing apparatus is turned off, andthe flow of the shooting ends.

First Embodiment

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating, in further detail, aconfiguration used for a subject movement detection process according toa first embodiment of the present invention. Note that elements that arethe same as those shown in FIG. 1 are given the same reference numerals.Furthermore, the elements in FIG. 1 not directly related to the subjectmovement detection process according to the first embodiment are notshown.

The camera stabilization control unit 135 includes a position feedbackcontrol unit 211 and a control target value generating unit 212. Thecontrol target value generating unit 212 generates a control targetvalue, for carrying out position feedback control with the positionfeedback control unit 211, on the basis of the output from the camerashake detection unit 134. The position feedback control unit 211 finds atarget position for the image sensor 150, and calculates an operationamount, on the basis of the control target value and the positioninformation from the camera stabilization position sensor 131, and thencarries out the position feedback control, which controls the driving ofthe camera stabilization actuator 132. An image stabilization functionthat suppresses image blur, a smooth panning operation, and the like canbe realized using the control target value generated by the controltarget value generating unit 212.

A stabilization position extracting unit 204 extracts a value from theoutput of the camera stabilization position sensor 131 at a specifictiming. That timing is set by a timing notifying unit 201 included inthe exposure timing control unit 152. An output from the timingnotifying unit 201 depends on shooting conditions or the like set in theexposure timing control unit 152. This will be described in greaterdetail later. The subject movement amount detection unit 163 detects themovement amount of the subject on the basis of the outputs from thesubject position detection unit 161, the motion vector detection unit162, the stabilization position extracting unit 204, and the camerashake detection unit 134.

The timing of the extraction by the stabilization position extractingunit 204 in a case where the present embodiment is employed will bedescribed next with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. In FIG. 4A, a signal401 is a synchronization signal, and the period thereof corresponds tothe framerate. Exposure periods 402 a, 402 b, and 402 c, whichcorrespond to first, second, and third frames, respectively, correspondto exposure periods for the frames. The present embodiment assumes thata CMOS sensor is used as the image sensor 150, and exposure periods areindicated for each period corresponding to the framerate. If the CMOSsensor is driven through a rolling shutter, the readout timing isdifferent for each horizontal readout line of the image sensor 150. InFIG. 4A, the readout is carried out in order from a horizontal readoutline 411 at the top, to a horizontal readout line 412, a horizontalreadout line 413, and so on up to a horizontal readout line 419. Thus ascan be seen from the exposure period 402 a too, the exposure timingshifts from the horizontal readout line 411 at the top to the horizontalline 419 at the bottom.

A signal 403 is the output from the timing notifying unit 201, andindicates the timing at which the stabilization position extracting unit204 extracts the position information from the camera stabilizationposition sensor 131.

In the present embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4A, the extraction timingis set to a central time, which corresponds to the center of theexposure period in each horizontal readout line of the image sensor 150.For example, the central time of the exposure period for the horizontalreadout line 411 at the top is a time t1. At that time t1, the timingnotifying unit 201 notifies the stabilization position extracting unit204 that it is the timing for extracting the position information, andthe stabilization position extracting unit 204 extracts the positioninformation. Likewise, the stabilization position extracting unit 204extracts the position information in order, at a time t2 for thehorizontal readout line 412, at a time t3 for the horizontal readoutline 419, and so on. The same applies to the exposure periods 402 b and402 c, which are the second and third exposure periods, respectively.

As a result, the output of the camera stabilization position sensor 131,corresponding to each horizontal readout line, is extracted. An accurateamount of correction for the image stabilization mechanism can be foundfor each horizontal readout line on the basis of the extracted positioninformation from the camera stabilization position sensor 131 and thefocal length of the optical system at that point in time. Furthermore,because the amount of correction is found for each horizontal readoutline, the amount of correction can also be calculated according to thesubject, if the region of the subject is found as well.

For example, assuming a subject 406 is present as illustrated in FIG.4B, a plurality of horizontal readout lines corresponding to theposition of the subject 406 correspond to subject lines 407. The amountof correction for the image stabilization mechanism in each framecorresponding to those subject lines 407 matches that obtained atextraction timings 440 a to 440 c.

Note that the position information of the subject found by the subjectposition detection unit 161 may be transmitted to the stabilizationposition extracting unit 204, and the position information from thecamera stabilization position sensor 131, corresponding to the subjectlines 407, may be extracted by the stabilization position extractingunit 204, and then transmitted to the subject movement amount detectionunit 163.

Although the present embodiment describes a method of determining theextraction timing for each horizontal readout line in the image sensor150, the extraction may occur for the horizontal readout line every setinterval instead.

According to the first embodiment as described thus far, an accurateamount of correction for the image stabilization mechanism can beobtained, which makes it possible to find a more accurate subjectmovement amount.

Second Embodiment

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described next withreference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating, in further detail, aconfiguration used for a subject movement detection process according tothe second embodiment of the present invention. Note that elements thatare the same as those illustrated in FIG. 3 are given the same referencenumerals, and will not be described. The configuration illustrated inFIG. 5 differs from the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3 in that thevarious types of subject information detected by the subject positiondetection unit 161 are output to the timing notifying unit 201.

The timing of the extraction carried out by the stabilization positionextracting unit 204 according to the second embodiment will be describednext with reference to FIG. 6. As in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the signal 401 isa synchronization signal synchronized with the frames. A signal 603 is asignal, output from the timing notifying unit 201, which indicates thetiming at which the position information from the camera stabilizationposition sensor 131 is extracted. Exposure periods 602 a to 602 ccorrespond to the exposure periods of individual frames.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the second embodiment assumes that a subject606 is present in a shot image 605, and that the position of the subject606 at that time is detected by the subject position detection unit 161.If the position of the subject 606 has been found, subject lines 607,which are the range of horizontal readout lines in the image sensor 150corresponding to the position of the subject 606, can be found as well.Furthermore, the exposure periods corresponding to the subject lines 607can be found on the basis of the shooting conditions and the like, assubject exposure periods 608. A time t21 that is the center of theexposure time of a line at the center of the subject lines 607 is thecentral time of the subject exposure period 608. Accordingly, extractingthe position information from the camera stabilization position sensor131 at time t21 makes it possible to calculate a stabilizationcorrection amount corresponding to the subject 606. In the same manner,the position information from the camera stabilization position sensor131 is extracted at times t22 and t23 for the exposure periods 602 b and602 c, which are the second and third exposure periods, respectively.

FIG. 7 illustrates the timing of extraction when there are two subjects,namely subjects 706 and 707, in a shot image 705. In this case as well,using the same concept as that described with reference to FIG. 6, theposition information from the camera stabilization position sensor 131is extracted at a central time t25 of subject exposure periods 710 ofsubject lines 708, which are the range of horizontal readout lines inthe image sensor 150 corresponding to the subject 706. Similarly, theposition information from the camera stabilization position sensor 131is extracted at a central time t24 of subject exposure periods 711 ofsubject lines 709, which are the range of horizontal readout linescorresponding to the subject 707. The same applies to the exposureperiods 602 b and 602 c, which are the second and third exposureperiods, respectively.

As described earlier, the information extraction timing is determined inaccordance with the position of the subject in the shot image, inaddition to the shooting conditions. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG.5, the position information of the subject, as found by the subjectposition detection unit 161, is required by the timing notifying unit201 to determine the timing.

According to the second embodiment as described thus far, an accurateamount of correction for the image stabilization mechanism can beobtained, which makes it possible to find a more accurate subjectmovement amount.

Third Embodiment

A third embodiment of the present invention will be described next withreference to FIGS. 8 to 10.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating, in further detail, aconfiguration used for a subject movement detection process according tothe third embodiment of the present invention. Note that elements thatare the same as those illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 5 are given the samereference numerals, and will not be described. The configurationillustrated in FIG. 8 differs from the configuration illustrated in FIG.5 in that in FIG. 8, the camera stabilization control unit 135 includesthe stabilization position extracting unit 204, and that thestabilization position extracting unit 204 further includes astabilization position computation processing unit 205.

The timing of the extraction carried out by the stabilization positionextracting unit 204 according to the third embodiment will be describednext with reference to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 illustrates signal timingsaccording to the third embodiment. As in FIG. 6, the signal 401 is asynchronization signal synchronized with the frames. A signal 903 is asignal, output from the timing notifying unit 201, which indicates thetiming at which the position information from the camera stabilizationposition sensor 131 is extracted. Exposure periods 602 a to 602 ccorrespond to the exposure periods of individual frames.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the third embodiment also assumes that thesubject 606 is present in the shot image 605, and that the position ofthe subject 606 at that time is detected by the subject positiondetection unit 161. The subject exposure periods 608 are the exposureperiods corresponding to the subject lines 607 which are the horizontalreadout lines where the subject 606 is located. The time t21 that is thecenter of the exposure time of a line at the center of the subject lines607 is the central time of the subject exposure period 608.

In FIG. 9, a signal 921 indicates the position information output fromthe camera stabilization position sensor 131 in time series according tothe third embodiment, and a signal 924 is obtained by filtering thattime series data.

In the third embodiment, the position information from the camerastabilization position sensor 131 is obtained at a set cycle during thesubject exposure period 608, and that time series data is subjected to afiltering computation process for removing noise, such as low-passfilter (LPF) processing. The information at time t21 is extracted fromthe position information that has undergone the LPF processing. By doingso, even if there is noise in the position information at the time ofextraction, that noise can be removed.

For example, if the camera body 120 has been subjected to a temporaryimpact at time t21, that impact will propagate to the image sensor 150as well, and will be observed as noise in the output of the camerastabilization position sensor 131 as a result. The noise resulting fromthat impact is represented by a pulse 922. If the timing of that pulse922 coincides with the extraction time t21, position data 923 will beextracted as the position information from the camera stabilizationposition sensor 131, corresponding to the subject 606.

However, the position feedback control unit 211 is carrying out feedbackcontrol, and thus even if the position is shifted for an instant by theimpact, the image sensor 150 immediately returns to the desiredposition. As such, the positional shift of the image sensor 150 causedby the impact occurs only for an instant with respect to the subjectexposure period 608, and therefore produces almost no effect on theexposed image 905. The required information in the present invention isthe stabilization correction amount for an exposed shot image, and thusthe information to be extracted at the extraction timing t21 is not theposition data 923 of the position information at the time of the impact,but rather the position information of the exposure periods before andafter the impact. Carrying out the LPF processing described earlier, asin the present embodiment, makes it possible to obtain the desiredposition information.

Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the stabilization positioncomputation processing unit 205 is provided in the stabilizationposition extracting unit 204, as illustrated in FIG. 8. The positioninformation is then extracted after using the stabilization positioncomputation processing unit 205 to carry out filtering processing, suchas LPF processing, to remove noise. Although an LPF is used for noiseremoval in the third embodiment, a smoothing process may instead becarried out through another type of computation, such as an averagingprocess.

According to the third embodiment as described thus far, an accurateamount of correction for the image stabilization mechanism can beobtained even when the camera body 120 has been subjected to a temporaryimpact, which makes it possible to find a more accurate subject movementamount.

The foregoing describes an example of a configuration in which the imagesensor 150, the camera stabilization control unit 135, the exposuretiming control unit 152, and the stabilization position extracting unit204 are separate units. However, a processing block 210 constituted by alogic circuit that integrates the camera stabilization control unit 135,the exposure timing control unit 152, and the stabilization positionextracting unit 204 may be configured, and that processing block 210 maybe integrated with the image sensor 150, as illustrated in FIG. 10.Doing so makes it easy to link the signals among the blocks to eachother, which in turn makes it possible to realize faster and moreaccurate signal processing.

Fourth Embodiment

A fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described next withreference to FIGS. 11 to 13C.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating, in detail, a configuration usedfor a subject movement detection process according to the fourthembodiment of the present invention. The configuration illustrated inFIG. 11 corresponds to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3, butdivided between two circuit boards. Accordingly, a configuration and acontrol unit for communication between the two circuit boards has beenadded. Note that elements that are the same as those illustrated in FIG.3, 5, or 8 are given the same reference numerals, and will not bedescribed.

In FIG. 11, an image stabilization circuit 301 is a circuit blockincluding the image sensor 150, the camera stabilization control unit135, and the like, and is formed on a single semiconductor device,circuit board, or the like. A camera control circuit 302 is a circuitblock including a camera control unit 160, the motion vector detectionunit 162, the subject movement amount detection unit 163, and the like,and is formed on a different circuit board or semiconductor device fromthe image stabilization circuit 301.

An image capturing control unit 311 is configured in the imagestabilization circuit 301, and receives control information pertainingto image capturing from the camera control unit 160, via an imagecapturing control signal receiving unit 312 configured in the imagestabilization circuit 301 and an image capturing control signaltransmitting unit 313 configured in the camera control circuit 302.Shooting conditions such as the exposure period, a pixel readoutalgorithm for the image sensor 150, and so on are set using the receivedcontrol information, to control the image sensor 150, the exposuretiming control unit 152, and the like, as well as to control the imagesignal processing unit 151 and the like.

The stabilization position extracting unit 204 extracts the output ofthe camera stabilization position sensor 131 at the timings describedabove with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B, FIG. 6, or FIG. 7, in responseto a signal from the timing notifying unit 201.

A communication packet transmitting unit 322 configured in the imagestabilization circuit 301 and a communication packet receiving unit 323configured in the camera control circuit 302 are communication blocksthat pass data from the image stabilization circuit 301 to the cameracontrol circuit 302. At this time, packet data generated by atransmission packet generating unit 321, transmitted from thecommunication packet transmitting unit 322, is analyzed by a receivedpacket processing unit 324, and is then passed to the respectiveprocessing blocks of the camera control circuit 302 as data. Thetransmission packet generating unit 321 includes a header generatingunit 325 that generates a header to be added to the packet data, and apayload generating unit 326 that generates the payload of the packetdata. This header and payload include pixel data for each horizontalline, position information of the image stabilization mechanism, theshooting conditions, the subject position, and so on, as well as otherinformation for identification, which will be described in detail later.

The subject movement amount detection unit 163 detects the movementamount of the subject on the basis of the outputs of the motion vectordetection unit 162 and the camera shake detection unit 134, and thepixel data, position information of the image stabilization mechanism,subject position, and the like extracted from the packet data that hasbeen analyzed by the received packet processing unit 324.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of the format of thepackets generated by the transmission packet generating unit 321 andused to transmit a single frame's worth of image data. A pixel dataregion 1201 illustrated in FIG. 12 indicates the region of the pixeldata to be transmitted, and an active pixel region 1211 is a region ofactive pixels in a single frame of an image captured by the image sensor150. A margin region 1212, which has the same number of pixels in thevertical direction as the number of pixels in the vertical direction inthe active pixel region 1211, is set on the left side of the activepixel region 1211. A forward dummy region 1213, which has the samenumber of pixels in the horizontal direction as the overall number ofpixels in the active pixel region 1211 and the margin region 1212 in thehorizontal direction, is set above the active pixel region 1211. In FIG.12, embedded data 1215 is inserted into the forward dummy region 1213.The embedded data 1215 includes information such as setting valuespertaining to the image capturing by the image sensor 150, including theshutter speed, gain, and the like, as well as the subject position andso on. A rear dummy region 1214, which has the same number of pixels inthe horizontal direction as the overall number of pixels in the activepixel region 1211 and the margin region 1212 in the horizontaldirection, is set below the active pixel region 1211. Note that theembedded data 1215 may also be inserted into the rear dummy region 1214.The pixel data region 1201 is constituted by the active pixel region1211, the margin region 1212, the forward dummy region 1213, and therear dummy region 1214.

The band on the upper side in FIG. 12 indicates the structure of thepacket data used in the transmission according to the presentembodiment. When a string of pixels in the horizontal direction is takenas a line, the pixel data of each line constituting the pixel dataregion 1201 is held in the payload of the packet. A single packet isconstituted by adding a header and footer, as well as control codes suchas a start code before the header and an end code after the footer, to apayload holding one line's worth of pixel data. Note that the footer isadded as an option, and a control code such as an end code is addedafter the payload if a footer is not added.

As will be described later, the header includes additional informationfor the pixel data held in the payload, such as Frame Start, Frame End,Line Valid, Line Number, ECC, and the like. By employing a format thattransmits the pixel data constituting a single frame of an image on aline-by-line basis in this manner, additional information such as theheader, control codes such as the start code and the end code, and so oncan be transferred during the blanking period for each line.

The entirety of one frame's worth of image data is transferred using anumber of packets greater than or equal to the number of pixels in thepixel data region 1201 in the vertical direction.

The bands on the left side and the bottom of FIG. 12 indicate thecontent of the header information. FIG. 13A is a diagram collectivelyillustrating the format of the packets indicated at the top of FIG. 12,details of the header information indicated at the bottom of FIG. 12,and Reserve content. FIG. 13B illustrates an example of the content ofthe header information and the amount of that information.

Frame Start is 1-bit information indicating the start of the frame. Avalue of 1 is set for the Frame Start of the header of the packet usedto transfer the first line of pixel data in the pixel data region 1201illustrated in FIG. 12, whereas a value of 0 is set for the Frame Startof the headers of the packets used to transfer the pixel data of theother lines. Frame End is 1-bit information indicating the end of theframe. A value of 1 is set for the Frame End of the header of the packetincluding the pixel data of the final line in the active pixel region1211 in its payload, whereas a value of 0 is set for the Frame End ofthe headers of the packets used to transfer the pixel data of the otherlines. The Frame Start and Frame End serve as “frame information”, whichis information pertaining to the frame.

Line Active is 1-bit information indicating whether or not a line in thepixel data held in the payload is a line of active pixels. A value of 1is set for the Line Active of the header of the packet used to transferthe pixel data of the line within the active pixel region 1211, whereasa value of 0 is set for the Line Active of the headers of the packetsused to transfer the pixel data of the other lines. Line Number is13-bit information expressing a line number of a line constituted by thepixel data held in the payload. Embedded Line is 1-bit informationindicating whether or not the packet is a packet used to transfer a linein which embedded data is inserted. For example, a value of 1 is set forthe Embedded Line of the header of a packet used to transfer a lineincluding embedded data, whereas a value of 0 is set for the EmbeddedLine of the headers of packets used to transfer other lines. Asdescribed earlier, the embedded data is inserted into a predeterminedline in the forward dummy region 1213 and the rear dummy region 1214.The Line Active, Line Number, and Embedded Line serve as “lineinformation”, which is information pertaining to the lines.

A Data ID is information for identifying the data held in the payload,whereas Reserve is a region used for extension. A method for using theData ID and the Reserve in the present embodiment will be describedlater. Note that 0 being set for the Data ID in FIG. 12 is assumed toindicate that the data held in the payload is pixel data. Header ECC isinformation including an error detection code calculated on the basis ofthe header information.

In the fourth embodiment, the position information of the imagestabilization mechanism is added to the Reserve region. As illustratedin FIG. 13A, the position information of the image stabilizationmechanism is held in a position information region 1301 in a Reserveextension region, as 24-bit information. Accordingly, of the 29 bitsavailable in the Reserve region, 24 bits are used for the positioninformation region 1301, and the remaining 5 bits are used as theReserve region. FIG. 13C illustrates the overall transmission packet ofa single frame at that time. It can be seen that in the packet of anactive pixel line in the Nth line, position information 1302 when theNth line was exposed is added to the Reserve region, pixel data 1303 isadded to the payload data, and the packet is sent in that state.

Configuring the transmission packet in this manner makes it possible tosend the pixel data and position information in the same horizontal linein the same transmission packet, which makes it easy to handle the pixeldata and position information in synchronization with each other.

Although the foregoing describes an example in which the configurationillustrated in FIG. 3 is divided between two circuit boards, theconfigurations illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 8 can also be divided betweentwo circuit boards as well. In such a case, the control described withreference to FIGS. 6 and 7, and FIG. 9, respectively, can be carriedout.

Fifth Embodiment

A fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described next withreference to FIGS. 14A to 14C. With reference to FIGS. 14A to 14C,position information transmission methods that uses different formatswill be explained. Note that the fifth embodiment is assumed to employthe configuration illustrated in FIG. 11, which will therefore not bedescribed here.

According to the format illustrated in FIG. 14A, the positioninformation is divided into “reference information” and “differentialinformation” and transmitted. The position information, which serves asa reference for the frame (reference position information), is added asembedded data, and in the packet for each horizontal line, adifferential value from the reference position information (differentialposition information) is added to the Reserve region. In FIG. 14A, theembedded data is inserted into the forward dummy region 1213, andreference position information 1401, which serves as a reference forthat frame, is held in part of that data. Differential positioninformation 1402 is held in the Reserve region as the difference betweenthe position information at that time and the reference positioninformation 1401, in the packet for the Nth line of the active pixelregion 1211. Doing so makes it possible to reduce the data size of thedifferential position information 1402 held in the Reserve region ofeach packet.

The format illustrated in FIG. 14B assumes that the position informationis added to the payload data that up until this point has held the pixeldata and the embedded data. To realize this, a Data ID 1403, included inthe header information as described earlier, is used. The Data ID 1403is header information for identifying the data held in the payload. InFIG. 14B, a Data ID of 0 is set in a case where the data held in thepayload is pixel data, and a Data ID of 1 is set in a case whereposition information 1404 is held in the payload. Doing so makes itpossible to transmit the pixel data and position information of eachhorizontal line in transmission packets while identifying the data andinformation, which in turn makes it possible to send positioninformation with a larger amount of data.

Furthermore, with the format illustrated in FIG. 14C, the positioninformation for each horizontal line is not transmitted, and instead,position information that has already undergone computationalprocessing, corresponding to the known subject horizontal lines, isadded. In this case, the image stabilization circuit 301 and the cameracontrol circuit 302 illustrated in FIG. 11 have configurations obtainedby dividing the configuration illustrated in FIG. 5 or FIG. 8. Althoughthe “computational processing” mentioned here is the averaging,filtering, or the like described in the third embodiment, the positioninformation obtained through the method described in the secondembodiment may be used as the position information. At this time, theinformation may be added at the frame level, rather than at thehorizontal line level. Thus in FIG. 14C, a Data ID 1405 is set to 1, andframe position information 1406 is added to the embedded data.

Thus according to the fifth embodiment, the position information of theimage stabilization mechanism based on the exposure period of thesubject is extracted, and that information is added to the transmittedimage data. This makes it possible to calculate an accurate movementamount for the subject without using complicated transmission paths ortransmission processes.

Sixth Embodiment

A sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described next withreference to FIGS. 15 to 16.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram illustrating, in further detail, aconfiguration used for a subject movement detection process according tothe sixth embodiment of the present invention. Note that elements thatare the same as those illustrated in FIG. 1 are given the same referencenumerals, and will not be described. Furthermore, the elements in FIG. 1not directly related to the subject movement detection process accordingto the sixth embodiment are not shown.

The lens image stabilization control unit 112 includes a positionfeedback control unit 213 and a control target value generating unit214. The control target value generating unit 214 generates a controltarget value, for carrying out position feedback control with theposition feedback control unit 213, on the basis of the output from theinterchangeable lens shake detection unit 113. On the basis of thecontrol target value and the position information from the imagestabilization lens position sensor 106, the position feedback controlunit 213 finds a target position for the image stabilization lens group104 and calculates an operation amount, and carries out positionfeedback control, which controls the driving of the image stabilizationlens actuator 107. An image stabilization function that suppresses imageblur, a smooth panning operation, and the like can be realized using thecontrol target value generated by the control target value generatingunit 214.

A lens stabilization position extracting unit 215 extracts positioninformation from the output of the image stabilization lens positionsensor 106 at a specific timing, the timing being determined by thetiming notifying unit 201 of the exposure timing control unit 152,provided on the camera body 120 side.

The lens stabilization position extracting unit 215 transfers the outputof the image stabilization lens position sensor 106, extracted on thebasis of the output from the timing notifying unit 201, to astabilization position extracting unit 204 on the camera body 120 side.As described earlier, the communication between the interchangeable lens100 and the camera body 120 is carried out by the lens communicationcontrol unit 111 and the camera communication control unit 142.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating the timing of the extraction by thelens stabilization position extracting unit 215 according to the sixthembodiment. Note that the same signals and the like as those illustratedin FIGS. 4A and 4B are given the same reference numerals.

In the present embodiment, the timing at which the lens stabilizationposition extracting unit 215 extracts the position information from theimage stabilization lens position sensor 106 is the same as the timingat which the stabilization position extracting unit 204 extracts theposition information from the camera stabilization position sensor 131,described with reference to FIGS. 4A and 4B. For example, the positioninformation is extracted at time t61, corresponding to the uppermosthorizontal readout line 411. The lens stabilization position extractingunit 215 extracts the position information sequentially in a similarmanner, at time t62 corresponding to the horizontal readout line 412,and at time t63 corresponding to the final horizontal readout line 419.The same applies to the exposure periods 402 b and 402 c, which are thesecond and third exposure periods, respectively.

The timing notifying unit 201 notifies the lens stabilization positionextracting unit 215 of the extraction timing using the signal 403, andthe lens stabilization position extracting unit 215 extracts theposition information from the output of the image stabilization lensposition sensor 106. The lens stabilization position extracting unit 215then transfers the obtained position information to the lenscommunication control unit 111, and the lens communication control unit111 transmits the information to the camera communication control unit142 on a frame-by-frame basis at the timing of a communication timing441.

The camera communication control unit 142 transfers one frame's worth ofthe position information from the image stabilization lens positionsensor 106 to the stabilization position extracting unit 204. Thestabilization position extracting unit 204 extracts position information440 a to 440 c of the subject exposure periods corresponding to thesubject lines 407, which itself corresponds to the subject extracted bythe subject position detection unit 161, from the one frame's worth ofposition information transmitted from the interchangeable lens 100. Theextracted position information 440 a to 440 c is transmitted to thesubject movement amount detection unit 163.

The subject movement amount detection unit 163 detects the movementamount of the subject on the basis of the outputs from the motion vectordetection unit 162, the stabilization position extracting unit 204, andthe camera shake detection unit 134.

According to the sixth embodiment as described thus far, an accurateamount of correction for the image stabilization mechanism can beobtained, which makes it possible to find a more accurate subjectmovement amount.

Although the present embodiment describes a method of determining theextraction timing for each horizontal readout line in the image sensor150, the extraction may occur for the horizontal readout line every setinterval instead.

Seventh Embodiment

A seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described nextwith reference to FIGS. 17 to 19.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram illustrating, in further detail, aconfiguration used for a subject movement detection process according tothe seventh embodiment of the present invention. Note that elements thatare the same as those illustrated in FIG. 15 are given the samereference numerals, and will not be described. The configurationillustrated in FIG. 17 is different from the configuration illustratedin FIG. 15 in that the camera body 120 does not include thestabilization position extracting unit 204.

Control according to the seventh embodiment will be described withreference to FIG. 18. In the seventh embodiment, the positioninformation from the image stabilization lens position sensor 106 isextracted at the timing described in the second embodiment withreference to FIG. 6. The timing notifying unit 201 outputs the signal603 indicating the timing at which the position information from thecamera stabilization position sensor 131 is to be extracted, and thesignal 603 is transmitted to the lens communication control unit 111from the camera communication control unit 142 through lenscommunication.

On the basis of the signal 603, the lens stabilization positionextracting unit 215 extracts the position information from the imagestabilization lens position sensor 106 at time t71 in the exposureperiod 602 a, at time t73 in the exposure period 602 b, and at time t74in the exposure period 602 c. The lens stabilization position extractingunit 215 then transmits the position information to the cameracommunication control unit 142 via the lens communication control unit111, with the position information extracted at time t71 beingtransmitted at time t72, the position information extracted at time t73being transmitted at time t74, and the position information extracted attime t75 being transmitted at time t76.

FIG. 19 illustrates the extraction timing when the two subjects 706 and707 are present in the shot image 705. The position information from theimage stabilization lens position sensor 106 is extracted at the timingdescribed with reference to FIG. 7. The timing notifying unit 201outputs the signal 703 indicating the timing at which the positioninformation from the camera stabilization position sensor 131 is to beextracted, and the signal 703 is transmitted to the lens communicationcontrol unit 111 from the camera communication control unit 142 throughlens communication.

In the exposure period 702 a, the lens stabilization position extractingunit 215 extracts the position information from the image stabilizationlens position sensor 106 at time t77, which corresponds to the subject707, on the basis of the signal 603. The extracted position informationis then transmitted to the camera communication control unit 142 via thelens communication control unit 111 at time t78. Furthermore, theposition information from the image stabilization lens position sensor106 is extracted at time t79, corresponding to the subject 706, and theextracted position information is transmitted to the cameracommunication control unit 142 via the lens communication control unit111 at time t80. The position information is extracted and transmittedthrough the same processing in the exposure periods 702 b and 702 c aswell.

The position information from the image stabilization lens positionsensor 106, which is transmitted in this manner, is transmitted to thesubject movement amount detection unit 163 and used to detect themovement amount of the subject.

According to the seventh embodiment as described thus far, an accurateamount of correction for the image stabilization mechanism can beobtained, which makes it possible to find a more accurate subjectmovement amount.

Eighth Embodiment

An eighth embodiment of the present invention will be described nextwith reference to FIGS. 20 and 21.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram illustrating, in further detail, aconfiguration used for a subject movement detection process according tothe eighth embodiment of the present invention. According to theconfiguration illustrated in FIG. 20, the position information from theimage stabilization lens position sensor 106 is extracted at the timingdescribed with reference to FIG. 18 or 19, image stabilization iscarried out using the image sensor 150, and the position informationfrom the camera stabilization position sensor 131 is extracted at thetiming described with reference to FIG. 6 or 7. In FIG. 20, elementsthat are the same as those illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 15 are given thesame reference numerals, will not be described. Furthermore, theelements in FIG. 1 not directly related to the subject movementdetection process according to the eighth embodiment are not shown.

Control according to the eighth embodiment will be described withreference to FIG. 21. Like FIG. 18 described in the seventh embodiment,a situation where a single subject 606 has been detected will bedescribed here.

As illustrated in FIG. 21, the camera stabilization position sensor 131and the image stabilization lens position sensor 106 extract theposition information at the same timing. Furthermore, like the exampleillustrated in FIG. 6, the timing notifying unit 201 determines timet81, which coincides with the center of the subject exposure period 608,as the extraction timing, and outputs the signal 903 to thestabilization position extracting unit 204. In response to the signal903, the stabilization position extracting unit 204 extracts theposition information from the camera stabilization position sensor 131at time t81, and transmits the extracted position information to thesubject movement amount detection unit 163.

On the other hand, the timing notifying unit 201 transmits a signal 904,for causing the position information to be extracted at time t81, to thelens communication control unit 111 from the camera communicationcontrol unit 142, through lens communication. In response to the signal904, the lens stabilization position extracting unit 215 extracts theposition information from the image stabilization lens position sensor106 at time t81, and passes the extracted position information to thelens communication control unit 111. The lens communication control unit111 transmits the information of the image stabilization lens positionsensor 106 to the camera communication control unit 142 at time t82,through lens communication. The camera communication control unit 142transmits the received information to the subject movement amountdetection unit 163. The above-described processing is carried out forthe exposure periods 602 b and 602 c as well.

The subject movement amount detection unit 163 obtains the motion vectorcalculated from the image from the motion vector detection unit 162. Theshake amount of the image capturing apparatus is obtained from thecamera shake detection unit 134. Furthermore, the position informationof the image stabilization mechanism is obtained from the stabilizationposition extracting unit 204 and the lens stabilization positionextracting unit 215. The accurate position information of the subjectcan be found from this information.

According to the eighth embodiment as described thus far, extracting theposition information of the image stabilization mechanisms in accordancewith the exposure period of a subject makes it possible to find anaccurate amount of correction for the image stabilization mechanisms,corresponding to that exposure, in an interchangeable lens-type imagecapturing apparatus. An accurate movement amount of the subject can befound as a result.

Note that control may be carried out so that the position information isextracted at the timings illustrated in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 7.

Ninth Embodiment

A ninth embodiment of the present invention will be described next withreference to FIGS. 22 and 23.

FIG. 22 is a block diagram illustrating, in further detail, aconfiguration used for a subject movement detection process according tothe ninth embodiment of the present invention. Note that elements thatare the same as those illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 are given the samereference numerals, and will not be described. Furthermore, the elementsin FIG. 1 not directly related to the subject movement detection processaccording to the ninth embodiment are not shown.

An image capturing control circuit 2201 is a circuit block including theimage sensor 150, the camera stabilization control unit 135, the motionvector detection unit 162, the subject movement amount detection unit163, and the like, and is formed on a single circuit board orsemiconductor device. A camera control circuit 2202 is a circuit blockincluding the camera control unit 160, the camera shake detection unit134, and the like, and is formed on a different circuit board orsemiconductor device from the image capturing control circuit 2201.

An image capturing control unit 2211 is a processing block that controlsthe image sensor 150, the exposure timing control unit 152, the imagesignal processing unit 151, and the like, and sets the shootingconditions such as the exposure period, a pixel readout algorithm forthe image sensor 150, and the like.

A communication control unit 2206 and a communication control unit 2207are communication blocks for passing image capturing control informationfrom the camera control unit 160 to the image capturing control unit2211. The communication control unit 2206 and the communication controlunit 2207 are used to pass a camera shake amount output by the camerashake detection unit 134 from the camera control unit 160 to the camerastabilization control unit 135 and a shake amount extracting unit 2205.For example, if the image capturing control information and the camerashake amount are transferred via separate communication circuits,communication circuits and lines are required for both. This is aproblem in that it increases the space required for wiring, the numberof connector pins, and the like on the circuit board, which increasesthe component costs and makes it difficult to keep the image capturingapparatus small. In the present embodiment, an increase in the circuitscale and component cost are suppressed by transferring the imagecapturing control information and the camera shake amount via the samecommunication circuit.

The shake amount extracting unit 2205 extracts the camera shake amountoutput from the camera shake detection unit 134 at a specific timing.The timing is determined by the output of the timing notifying unit 201included in the exposure timing control unit 152.

Next, the camera shake amount output from the camera shake detectionunit 134, and the timing of the extraction by the shake amountextracting unit 2205, in a case where the present embodiment is applied,will be described with reference to FIG. 23. Note that the same signalsand the like as those illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B are given the samereference numerals.

The camera shake detection unit 134 transmits the detected camera shakeamount to the camera control unit 160 at predetermined intervals. In theexample illustrated in FIG. 23, the camera shake amount is transmittedfrom the camera shake detection unit 134 to the camera control unit 160at the communication timings 441, 442, and so on up to 449, in thatorder.

The camera control unit 160 transmits the received camera shake amountsto the shake amount extracting unit 2205 in sequence. In the exampleillustrated in FIG. 23, the camera shake amount received at thecommunication timing 441 is transmitted from the camera control unit 160to the shake amount extracting unit 2205 at the communication timing431. Likewise, the camera shake amount received at the communicationtiming 442 is transmitted from the camera control unit 160 to the shakeamount extracting unit 2205 at the communication timing 432; and thecamera shake amount received at the communication timing 449, at thecommunication timing 439.

The shake amount extracting unit 2205 extracts a camera shake amount onthe basis of the output from the timing notifying unit 201, from amongthe received camera shake amounts. As described with reference to FIGS.4A and 4B, in the ninth embodiment, the extraction timing is set to thecentral time corresponding to the center of the exposure period of eachhorizontal readout line in the image sensor 150. For example, with theuppermost horizontal readout line 411, the central time of the exposureperiod is time t91, and thus the timing notifying unit 201 notifies theshake amount extracting unit 2205 of time t91. The shake amountextracting unit 2205 then extracts the camera shake amount received atthe communication timing 431 as the camera shake amount corresponding totime t91.

Likewise, for the horizontal readout line 412, the shake amountextracting unit 2205 extracts the camera shake amount received at thecommunication timing 432 as the camera shake amount corresponding totime t92. Furthermore, for the horizontal readout line 419, the shakeamount extracting unit 2205 extracts the camera shake amount received atthe communication timing 439 as the camera shake amount corresponding totime t93. This extraction process is the same for the exposure periods402 b and 402 c, which are the second and third exposure periods,respectively.

The stabilization position extracting unit 204 also extracts theposition information output from the camera stabilization positionsensor 131 at the same timing as the shake amount extracting unit 2205,on the basis of the signal from the timing notifying unit 201, andtransmits the extracted position information to the subject movementamount detection unit 163.

According to the ninth embodiment as described above, the camera shakeamount corresponding to each horizontal readout line can be found foreach of those horizontal readout lines, and the accuracy with which thesubject movement amount is detected can be improved as a result.

Note that the stabilization position extracting unit 204 and the shakeamount extracting unit 2205 may be controlled to extract the positioninformation and the camera shake amount at the timings indicated in FIG.6 or FIG. 7 instead.

Tenth Embodiment

A tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described next withreference to FIG. 24. Note that the configuration of the image capturingapparatus according to the present embodiment is the same as thatillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 22, and will therefore not be described.

FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating the timing of the extraction by theshake amount extracting unit 2205 according to the tenth embodiment.Note that timings that are the same as those illustrated in FIG. 23,described above, will be given the same reference signs.

The camera shake detection unit 134 transmits the detected camera shakeamount to the camera control unit 160 at predetermined intervals. In theexample illustrated in FIG. 24, the camera shake amount is transmittedfrom the camera shake detection unit 134 to the camera control unit 160at a communication timing 541, a communication timing 542, acommunication timing 543, and so on up to a communication timing 549, inthat order.

The camera control unit 160 includes memory such as RAM (not shown) fortemporarily storing various types of data, and stores the receivedcamera shake amounts in the memory. The camera control unit 160 thentransmits the camera shake amounts stored over a predetermined period tothe shake amount extracting unit 2205 all at once. In FIG. 24, thecamera control unit 160 transmits the camera shake amounts received atthe communication timings 541 to 543 all at once to the shake amountextracting unit 2205 at the communication timing 533. Likewise, thecamera shake amounts from a predetermined period are transmitted fromthe camera control unit 160 all at once to the shake amount extractingunit 2205, at the communication timings 536 to 539, in that order.

The shake amount extracting unit 2205 extracts a camera shake amount onthe basis of the output from the timing notifying unit 201, from thecamera shake amounts received all at once. Like the ninth embodiment, inthe tenth embodiment, the extraction timing is set to the central timecorresponding to the center of the exposure period of each horizontalreadout line in the image sensor 150. For example, with the uppermosthorizontal readout line 411, the central time of the exposure period istime t101, and thus the timing notifying unit 201 notifies the shakeamount extracting unit 2205 of time t101.

In the same manner, the timing notifying unit 201 notifies the shakeamount extracting unit 2205 of time t102, which corresponds to thehorizontal readout line 412, and time t103, which corresponds to thehorizontal readout line 413. The shake amount extracting unit 2205extracts the camera shake amounts corresponding to time t101, time t102,time t103, and time t104 from the camera shake amounts received all atonce at the communication timing 533. Likewise, the shake amountextracting unit 2205 extracts the camera shake amount corresponding tothe exposure period of each horizontal readout line, from the camerashake amounts received all at once at the communication timings 536 to539. This extraction process is the same for the exposure periods 402 band 402 c, which are the second and third exposure periods,respectively.

The stabilization position extracting unit 204 also extracts theposition information output from the camera stabilization positionsensor 131 at the same timing as the shake amount extracting unit 2205,on the basis of the signal from the timing notifying unit 201, andtransmits the extracted position information to the subject movementamount detection unit 163.

The communication of the image capturing control information and thecamera shake amount is carried out through the communication controlunit 2206 and the communication control unit 2207, and thus control forensuring that the communication timings of the image capturing controlsignals and the camera shake amounts do not overlap is necessary.According to the present embodiment, communicating the camera shakeamounts all at once makes it easy to control the communication timingsof the image capturing control signals and the camera shake amounts.

Note that the stabilization position extracting unit 204 and the shakeamount extracting unit 2205 may be controlled to extract the positioninformation and the camera shake amount at the timings indicated in FIG.6 or FIG. 7 instead.

Although the present embodiment describes a configuration in which thecamera shake amounts from a predetermined period are transmitted all atonce, the configuration may be such that camera shake amountscorresponding to a single frame are transmitted all at once. Aconfiguration is also possible in which the camera shake amountscorresponding to the exposure periods of a single frame are transmittedall at once. For example, the camera shake amounts need not betransmitted to the camera stabilization control unit 135 when thestabilization control is off in the main body. Doing so makes itpossible to reduce the frequency at which the camera shake amount istransmitted from the camera control unit 160 to the shake amountextracting unit 2205. Note that in FIG. 24, the camera shake amountscorresponding to the exposure period of a single frame correspond to thecamera shake amounts detected in the period from the communicationtiming 541 to the communication timing 549.

Furthermore, although the present embodiment describes a configurationin which the camera shake amounts from a predetermined period aretransmitted all at once, the configuration may be such that the settingfor that predetermined period is changed on the basis of the subjectmovement amount. For example, if the detection result from the subjectmovement amount detection unit 163 indicates a high subject movementamount, the predetermined period may be shortened in anticipation of anincreased camera shake amount. On the other hand, if the subjectmovement amount is low, the predetermined period may be lengthened inanticipation of a reduced camera shake amount.

According to the tenth embodiment as described thus far, a camera shakeamount corresponding to the exposure period of the subject can beextracted, which makes it possible to improve the accuracy at which thesubject movement amount is detected. Furthermore, the camera shakeamount can be passed to the subject movement amount detection unit usinga configuration that suppresses an increase in the circuit scale and thecomponent cost.

Note that the stabilization position extracting unit 204 and the shakeamount extracting unit 2205 may be controlled to extract the positioninformation and the camera shake amount at the timings indicated in FIG.6 or FIG. 7 instead.

Other Embodiments

Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by acomputer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computerexecutable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on astorage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/orthat includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or moreof the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by thecomputer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out andexecuting the computer executable instructions from the storage mediumto perform the functions of one or more of the above-describedembodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform thefunctions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s). Thecomputer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processingunit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network ofseparate computers or separate processors to read out and execute thecomputer executable instructions. The computer executable instructionsmay be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or thestorage medium. The storage medium may include, for example, one or moreof a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM),a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as acompact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)™),a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2018-188608, filed on Oct. 3, 2018 which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

What is claimed is:
 1. An image stabilizing apparatus comprising: ashake detector that detects shake; an image stabilizer that corrects theshake by moving a position on the basis of the shake detected by theshake detector; a position detector that detects and outputs theposition of the image stabilizer; a determinator that determines anextraction timing at which to extract the position of the imagestabilizer on the basis of a timing at which an image sensor whichshoots an image is exposed; and an extractor that extracts the positionof the image stabilizer, from the output of the position detector, atthe extraction timing determined by the determinator.
 2. The imagestabilizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality ofpixels are arranged in the image sensor in a matrix; and thedeterminator determines a central time of an exposure period for eachline in the image sensor as the extraction timing.
 3. The imagestabilizing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality ofpixels are arranged in the image sensor in a matrix; and thedeterminator determines a central time of an exposure period for eachline at a set interval, among the lines in the image sensor, as theextraction timing.
 4. The image stabilizing apparatus according to claim1, further comprising: a subject position detector that detects aposition of a subject from an image captured by the image sensor,wherein a plurality of pixels are arranged in the image sensor in amatrix; and for each subject detected by the subject position detector,the determinator determines a central time of an exposure period of aline including the subject as the extraction timing for that subject. 5.The image stabilizing apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a smoothing circuit that carries out a smoothing process ontime series information of the position of the image stabilizer outputfrom the position detector, wherein the extractor extracts the positionof the image stabilizer at the extraction timing determined by thedeterminator, from the smoothed time series information of the positionof the image stabilizer.
 6. The image stabilizing apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the image stabilizer is an image sensor.
 7. The imagestabilizing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a secondshake detector that detects shake; a second image stabilizer thatcorrects the shake by moving a position on the basis of the shakedetected by the second shake detector; a second position detector thatdetects and outputs the position of the second image stabilizer; and asecond extractor that extracts the position of the second imagestabilizer, from the output of the second position detector, at theextraction timing determined by the determinator.
 8. The imagestabilizing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second imagestabilizer is an image stabilization lens.
 9. The image stabilizingapparatus according to claim 7, wherein the image stabilizing apparatusis provided in an image capturing system constituted by a main body ofan image capturing apparatus and an interchangeable lens; theinterchangeable lens includes the second shake detector, the secondimage stabilizer, the second position detector, and the secondextractor, and the main body of the image capturing apparatus includesthe image sensor and the determinator; and the apparatus furthercomprises communication circuits one of which transmits the extractiontiming determined by the determinator to the interchangeable lens, andthe other of which transmits the position of the second image stabilizerextracted by the second extractor to the main body of the imagecapturing apparatus.
 10. The image stabilizing apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the image stabilizer is an image stabilization lens.11. The image stabilizing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein theimage stabilizing apparatus is provided in an image capturing systemconstituted by a main body of an image capturing apparatus and aninterchangeable lens; the interchangeable lens includes the shakedetector, the image stabilizer, the position detector, and theextractor, and the main body of the image capturing apparatus includesthe image sensor and the determinator; and the apparatus furthercomprises communication circuits one of which transmits the extractiontiming determined by the determinator to the interchangeable lens, andthe other of which transmits the position of the image stabilizerextracted by the extractor to the main body of the image capturingapparatus.
 12. The image stabilizing apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising: a third extractor that extracts the output of theshake detector at the extraction timing determined by the determinator.13. The image stabilizing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein theshake detector is formed on a different circuit board from thedeterminator and the third extractor; and the apparatus furthercomprises a communication circuit that transmits information of theshake detected by the shake detector to the third extractor.
 14. Theimage stabilizing apparatus according to claim 13, wherein thecommunication circuit transmits the information of the shakesequentially to the third extractor.
 15. The image stabilizing apparatusaccording to claim 13, wherein the communication circuit transmits theinformation of the shake obtained in each predetermined period to thethird extractor all at once.
 16. The image stabilizing apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the image stabilizing apparatus is formedon the same circuit board as the image sensor.
 17. The image stabilizingapparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a generator thatgenerates a packet, containing a payload and a header, the packetincluding pixel data of an image captured by the image sensor in which aplurality of pixels are arranged in a matrix, and information of theposition of the image stabilizer extracted by the extractor; and atransmitter that transmits the packet generated by the generator. 18.The image stabilizing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein thegenerator inserts the pixel data from each line of the image sensor intothe payload of a corresponding packet, and inserts the information ofthe position of the image stabilizer extracted by the extractor in theexposure period of that line into the header of the same packet.
 19. Theimage stabilizing apparatus according to claim 17, wherein on the basisof the output of the position detector, the generator finds a referenceposition of the image stabilizer in each of frames and a differencebetween the position of the image stabilizer and the reference position,inserts the pixel data of each line in the image sensor or informationof the reference position into the payload of each packet, and insertsinformation of the difference into the header of the line correspondingto the extraction timing at which the position of the image stabilizerwas extracted.
 20. The image stabilizing apparatus according to claim17, wherein the generator inserts the pixel data of each line in theimage sensor or information of the position of the image stabilizer intothe payload of each packet, and inserts, into the header of each packet,information indicating which of the pixel data of each line in the imagesensor or the information of the position of the image stabilizer isinserted into the payload.
 21. The image stabilizing apparatus accordingto claim 17, wherein the image sensor includes a dummy region that doesnot output pixel data; and the generator inserts information of theposition of the image stabilizer into the payload of a packetcorresponding to the dummy region, and inserts, into the header of thatpacket, information indicating that the information of the position ofthe image stabilizer has been inserted.
 22. An image processingapparatus comprising: a motion vector detector that detects a motionvector indicating movement of a subject on the basis of an imagecaptured by an image sensor; and an acquisition circuit that acquiresthe motion vector detected by the motion vector detector and informationfrom an image stabilizing apparatus; a moving amount detector thatdetects a movement amount of the subject on the basis of the informationacquired by the acquisition circuit, wherein the image stabilizationapparatus comprising: a shake detector that detects shake; an imagestabilizer that corrects the shake by moving a position on the basis ofthe shake detected by the shake detector; a position detector thatdetects and outputs the position of the image stabilizer; a determinatorthat determines an extraction timing at which to extract the position ofthe image stabilizer on the basis of a timing at which an image sensorwhich shoots an image is exposed; and an extractor that extracts theposition of the image stabilizer, from the output of the positiondetector, at the extraction timing determined by the determinator, andwherein the information includes a shake amount detected by the shakedetector and the position of the image stabilizer extracted by theextractor.
 23. A method of detecting a position of an image stabilizer,the method comprising: detecting shake; correcting the shake by movingthe position of the image stabilizer on the basis of the detected shake;detecting and outputting the position of the image stabilizer;determining an extraction timing at which to extract the position of theimage stabilizer on the basis of a timing at which an image sensor whichshoots an image is exposed; and extracting, from the detected positionof the image stabilizer, the position of the image stabilizer at thedetermined extraction timing.
 24. A computer-readable storage mediumstoring a program that, in an image stabilizing apparatus including ashake detector that detects shake, an image stabilizer that corrects theshake by moving a position on the basis of the shake detected by theshake detector, and a position detector that detects and outputs theposition of the image stabilizer, causes a computer to function as: adeterminator that determines an extraction timing at which to extractthe position of the image stabilizer on the basis of a timing at whichan image sensor which shoots an image is exposed; and an extractor thatextracts the position of the image stabilizer, from the output of theposition detector, at the extraction timing determined by thedeterminator.